Normandie
1938
(Carlo Marquardt CM-171)
- Type: Passenger
- Displacement: 83,423 tons
- Dimensions: 1,029 x 118 x 57.5 ft.
- Machinery: Steam turboelectric, quadruple screw, 165,000 SHP = 29 knots
- Passengers: 1,972 (848 first class, 670 tourist class, 454 third class)
- Crew: 1,345
- Builder: Chantiers de l'Atlantique (Penhoet), St. Nazaire, France, 1935
- Service: Commissioned for the French Line 5 May 1935. Initially measured at 79,820 GRT, on her refit in 1936 she was remeasured at 83,423 GRT as shown here. On her maiden voyage Le Havre-New York she took the Blue Riband from the Italian Rex with an average speed of 29.98 knots between Bishops Rock and Ambrose. She also broke the record on her return voyage at 30.31 knots for the eastward passage. A year later, she lost the title for fastest crossings to Britain's Queen Mary. She regained the pennant in Aug 1937 with record crossings of 30.58 knots westward and 31.2 knots eastward. However the Queen Mary broke both records again in Aug 1938.
Laid up at New York because of the threat of war, Sep 1939. Seized by U.S. authorities, Dec 1941, and renamed USS Lafayette. Conversion began to 15,000-troop-capacity transport but she caught fire at her New York pier, 9 Feb 1942, then lost stability and turned onto her side due to the large amount of water pumped onto the superstructure. After very difficult salvage work she was righted 7 Aug 1943 and refloated 13 Sep. However she was not repaired and was stricken from the Navy list 11 Oct 1945, then sold and towed to Port Newark for breakup in 1946.
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